Manchester United and Manchester City set to go for Van Persie!

Manchester United and Manchester City are set to go head-to-head in the race to sign Arsenal’s want away captain Robin van Persie.

The Mirror is reporting that the Etihad Stadium club is ready to hand the Dutchman a deal worth £220,000 a week, after he confirmed he would not be extending his deal with the Gunners.

However, the Daily Mail claim that Sir Alex Ferguson wants to lure Van Persie across Manchester to Old Trafford and is ready to spend big to do so.

Arsene Wenger will have been dismayed last night when the 28-year-old released a statement on his official website stating that he would not be signing an extension to the deal that has just 12 months left to run.

Wenger has the option to sell van Persie now for a healthy profit or make him see out the remaining year of his deal – the striker’s importance to the team mean this is likely a serious consideration.

Juventus have also been credited with an interest in last season’s Premier league Golden Boot winner

VAN PERSIE TO LEAVE ARSENAL...... WHAT A BLOW!

Arsenal have received the news they have been dreading, with captain Robin van Persie confirming on his official website he would not be signing a new deal with the club.

Van Persie, 28, has been the Gunners' standout player in recent years and at times carried the side last season, scoring 30 Barclays Premier League goals. His current deal runs out at the end of the 2012-13 season and he has been strongly linked with the likes of Manchester City and Italian champions Juventus.

In an open letter to fans on his website, www.robinvanpersie.com, he wrote: "I've thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract."

Robin van Persie has rejected the offer of a new Arsenal contract, saying the club's ambition does not match his own.

The Dutch international has a year left on his current deal with the English Premier League club, who could now be tempted to cash in on their prize asset, rather than see him leave for nothing on a Bosman free transfer at the end of next season.

"I've thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract," Van Persie, who scored 30 Premier League goals last season, said Wednesday.

added the 28-year-old, whose performances last season saw him named Player of the Year by both his fellow professionals in the Premier League and England's Football Writers' Association.

Premier League champions Manchester City and Italian title-holders Juventus are among the clubs to have been repeatedly linked with signing the Dutchman.

Van Persie added he had met with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis at the end of last season to discuss his future but had been disappointed by the answers he'd received regarding the Gunners' ambitions.

Since signing from Dutch side Feyenoord in 2004, Van Persie has won just one major trophy with Arsenal - the 2005 FA Cup.

It is a poor return for a player of his talent and he said it was a desire to win silverware that was behind his decision to leave the Emirates Stadium.

"I have kept quiet all this time out of respect and loyalty for the club and as agreed with Mr Gazidis and Mr Wenger, but since there is so much speculation in the media, I think it is fair for you guys to know what's really going on at the moment," Van Persie said.

"As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the boss (Wenger) and Mr Gazidis after the season.

"This was a meeting about the club's future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.

"I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.

"Out of my huge respect for Mr Wenger, the players and the fans I don't want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal should move forward."

He added: "I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens. I have grown up and became a man during my time with Arsenal FC ... I am very proud of being part of this fantastic club for the last eight years."

As for his next move, van Persie added: "As soon as Mr Gazidis is back from his two-week holiday in America further meetings will follow and I will update you if and when there are more developments."

Arsenal responded to van Persie's announcement with a statement of their own in which they said they hoped he would see out his contract.

"We have to respect Robin's decision not to renew his contract. Robin has one year to run on his current contract and we are confident that he will fulfil his commitments to the club."

But former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour urged Arsenal to cash-in on van Persie, saying: "There is talk he could get £25-30 million ($37.9-45.5 million). If that is the case it has to be invested straight back into the club."

Other players have left Arsenal in recent seasons to bolster their hopes of landing major medals, notably Spain's World Cup and Euro 2012-winning midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who joined Barcelona in August last year and two days later won the Spanish Super Cup.

NAPOLI VS CHELSEA FC IN TODAYS UEFA CHAMPION LEAGUE

LIVE MATCH, NAPOLI VS CHELSEA FC IN ITALY.
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NAPOLI VS CHELSEA LIVE ONLINE STREAMING

CHELSEA WILL PLAY NAPOLI IN THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TONIGHT

How much has changed in the two and a half months since the Blues qualified for the Round of 16? Winter has brought just five wins in 14 matches since that period of optimism.

The group stage had ended with a now vastly underrated 3-0 win over Valencia (pictured below) - the third-best side in Spain behind Real and Barcelona.

Having confirmed leadership of Group E, Andre Villas-Boas's men immediately overcame a previously rampant Manchester City 2-1 in the Barclays Premier League. City had been dismissed from the Champions League by tonight's opponents Napoli with a draw at Eastlands and a 1-2 defeat in southern Italy.

Yet City have since expanded the gap to the top of the Premier League from seven points to 17, even though they play out their Uefa season in the Europa League.

Saturday's draw with Birmingham at least had several positives in decent performances from the returning Didier Drogba, Ramires, Mikel and Salomon Kalou, as well as Daniel Sturridge's first goal since December - his seventh in as many FA Cup matches for the Blues.

Generally with the first of two legs the home side is as keen to keep a clean sheet as the away team is to steal an away goal. Since Napoli set such a counterattacking trap for opponents, the more seasoned Chelsea might settle for a 0-0 that tempts the Neapolitans out to play on a Stamford Bridge pitch two metres shorter and one narrower than Stadio San Paolo.

It may still require something special if the Londoners are to redress the balance of Italian/English clubs in this competition.

The Italians hold the upper hand in previous encounters. No league has produced more European Cup/Champions League finalists than Serie A's 26, and this year Napoli are joined at this stage of the competition by Juventus and Milan - more than any other country.

This is, however, Napoli's first campaign in Europe's elite title race since the days of Diego Maradona. Between 1984 and 1991 80,000 azzurri regularly packed the stands to watch the inordinately skilled Argentinean win domestic and European league titles.

Twenty-one years later there were hopes the 'ma-gi-ca' days of Maradona, Giordano and Careca might be revisited with a Scudetto success, but the Neapolitans failed to push on this time last year when they were top of Serie A, and stumbled again this winter.

In broader football terms the club is hardly a force, but in how it dominates the city of Naples and the lives of its inhabitants it is a giant. Despite the recession they still regularly attract a sell-out 47,000. Most of their rival clubs' gates are down.

EVERTON VS CHELSEA UPDATES AND LIVE STREAMING LINK

CHELSEA WILL GO UP AGAINST EVERTON TODAY.

Live Streaming online  here>>> Everton vs Chelsea

Andre Villas-Boas will not make the same mistake as Manchester City counterpart Roberto Mancini and head to Everton expecting an easy ride. 

Chelsea are due on Merseyside this weekend for the latest instalment of their quest to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Blues boss Villa-Boas is fully aware of how testing the fixture will be for his side, with the Toffees having recently seen off title-chasing City on home soil.
Mancini admitted after that game that he thought 'it was maybe easier' than it turned out to be, but there is no chance of Chelsea underestimating the same opposition on Saturday.
"We never underestimate Everton because our record at Goodison Park is not impressive," Villas-Boas said.
"It is a difficult place to go, and a team that has made a great transfer market without a lot of noise, but with the right buys.
"It is fantastic to see Darren Gibson playing more often because he is a player of immense talent and Landon Donovan coming back to a place he knows well.
"I think the additions they made were fantastic, improving them a level and making them even more difficult to play against."

Frustrating

Chelsea's trip to Everton represents their first outing since throwing away a three-goal lead against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
While focus must now be shifted away from that fixture, Villas-Boas is refusing to let the issue of debatable penalty calls lie - with Red Devils striker Danny Welbeck having tumbled over Branislav Ivanovic's outstretched leg to earn a debatable spot kick during a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The Portuguese tactician said: "It is frustrating seeing a penalty like that given - there must be a new rule set out, we have them for two-footed tackles, now we have to have them for players who stand out their leg on purpose, clipping the leg of a defender on purpose to fall to give a penalty.
"On the same weekend, we had two incidents of that from [Manchester City winger] Adam Johnson and Welbeck.
"So there needs to be a new rule for penalties when the attacker purposely sticks his foot out to dive for a penalty."

Chelsea v Man United preview

Chelsea v Man United preview

Watch all the action live on Sky Sports HD1 and 3D from 3.30pm

John Terry: The former England captain has not recovered from a knee injury

Sir Alex Ferguson: Only goal difference is keeping United off the Premier League's top spot

Form guide:
Chelsea: DLWWDD
Man United: WLLWWW

Injuries:
Chelsea: Terry, Ramires, Lampard, Mikel
Man United: Lindegaard, Rooney, Nani, Cleverley, Young, Owen, Vidic

Suspensions:
Chelsea: Cole
Man United: None

Referee: H Webb

Sky Bet odds: Chelsea 6/4 Draw 9/4 Man United 15/8

Opta stat: Fernando Torres has scored four goals in his last seven Premier League games against Manchester United.

Former England captain John Terry will be absent on Sunday when Chelsea take on Premier League title-chasing Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

The Football Association on Friday decided to strip Terry of the national team's skipper's armband in the wake of his alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand.
Focus has inevitably fallen upon Chelsea captain Terry, but he will not face United after failing to overcome the knee injury which caused him to miss the midweek draw at Swansea.
It would have been Terry's first on-field appearance since his court denial of alleged racism and it could have delivered a meeting with Rio Ferdinand, brother of Anton, and a possible snubbed handshake.
But the Chelsea centre-back has not recovered from his injury, which Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas revealed had been sustained in the FA Cup win over Portsmouth.

Fight

Regardless of the off-field allegations and the scrutiny of Terry, the meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson's United is a significantly important game for Chelsea.
The Londoners have almost to a man accepted they are out of the title race after falling 12 points behind leaders Manchester City and United, who are only separated by goal difference.
Chelsea are instead seemingly in a four-way fight for fourth place, and the UEFA Champions League, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle to mean a win against United is crucial for Villas-Boas.
Ferguson, though, will not need telling about the impact of the game against their previous title rivals, as general consensus suggests that if United come through games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham and are still keeping pace with City, they are ominously placed.
United enjoy a good overall record against Chelsea having won five of their last six matches in all competitions, but, when it comes to the league, Ferguson's men have not succeeded in their last nine visits to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will be without the suspended Ashley Cole after the England left-back was sent off against Swansea and Didier Drogba is still at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Cleverley return

Brazilian midfielder Ramires damaged knee ligaments in the FA Cup win over QPR and is continuing his rehabilitation.
He joins Jon Obi Mikel (hamstring) on the sidelines, but Frank Lampard (calf) could return despite missing the draw at Swansea.
United have a decision to make in goal after Anders Lindegaard was ruled out for at least four weeks with an ankle ligament injury.
Ben Amos started in Tuesday's win over Stoke and could keep his place despite David de Gea's expected return to fitness.
Ferguson hopes Wayne Rooney, Nani, Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young could all be fit enough to return to the squad.
Long-term absentee Cleverley will travel to London with United's squad, but he is more likely to face Chelsea's reserves on Monday.

Possible starting XIs

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Ferreira, Malouda, Romeu, Meireles, Mata, Sturridge, Torres.
Manchester United: De Gea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Park, Giggs, Carrick, Valencia, Welbeck, Rooney.